Konstantin Zatulin, State Duma deputy, director of the Institute of CIS Countries
Konstantin Zatulin/duma.gov.ru
Konstantin Zatulin is a deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation and director of the Institute of CIS Countries. He is known for his Ukrainophobic views.
He stated that Russia pursued three goals in Ukraine: the federalization of Ukraine, the Russian language as the state language, and the unity of the church with the Moscow Patriarchate.
He called modern Ukraine an enemy of the Russian Federation and called on the aggressor country to “use all opportunities so that such a state ceases to exist.”
He spoke about the fact that the so-called “special military operation” had allegedly already gone beyond its limits and turned into a war for the survival of Russia.
He accused Ukraine of being hostile not only to Russia but also to Belarus. He declared that “Ukraine is waging war with Russia, and is preparing for it with Belarus.”
*The material was created in cooperation with the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine
Main statements
1. He stated that Russian troops had invaded Ukraine to protect Donbas (February 24, 2022)
He said that it was not a war against Ukraine but a so-called “special operation”. He called the purpose of hostilities to protect the lives and health of people living in Donbas.
2. He stated that the Russian Federation had supported Ukraine in every possible way, but it still “went down the wrong path” (February 24, 2022)
As he said, Ukraine had begun to distance itself from Russia, arm itself and establish relations with the West. He noted that Ukraine allegedly ignored its realities and “forbids the Russian language, although everyone speaks Russian, does not declare Russians as indigenous people, although Russians have always lived there.”
3. He stated that the war was necessary to “eliminate the threat to Russia from Ukraine” (February 24, 2022)
4. He accused the Ukrainian military of placing military equipment in residential areas (February 27, 2022)
He stated that Ukraine had supposedly failed to organize an effective defence, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was only “creating a good PR image” and perpetuating the information war against Russia.
